1. Calabash International Literary Festival
Treasure Beach, Jamaica
PHOTO: HUGH WRIGHT
Since 2001, the biennial Calabash International Literary Festival has brought the literati from around the world to Jakes Hotel on Jamaica’s Treasure Beach— where, this weekend (May 30-June 1), you’ll find the island’s top writers and international literary celebrities alike sharing and discussing their work in this distinctly Jamaican setting. This year’s edition features Salman Rushdie, Zadie Smith, Jamaica Kincaid and Colum McCann (among many others), as well as musical performances by rapper-turned-publisher Prodigy of Mobb Deep (who will also be on hand to discuss his autobiography My Infamous Life), Jah-9 and Haiti’s BeLo. The Calabash Acoustic Ensemble, an quartet led by Third World’s Ibo Cooper will also lead a tribute to singer Judy Mowatt. And with workshop topics ranging from science fiction to writing in Jamaican dialect, audiences can’t help but gain a better sense of the diversity of Caribbean literature. What’s more all events are free and open to the public.